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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23539075">Another Life</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skylin3/pseuds/Skylin3'>Skylin3</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Love, Pre-Timeskip | Academy Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), War</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 15:09:21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,431</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23539075</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skylin3/pseuds/Skylin3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>She never asked for this war, so why she even a part of it? Just to suffer and continue down this nightmare of a life she had. She just wanted it to be over...</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Ferdinand von Aegir/Dorothea Arnault</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>15</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Another Life</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is indeed a reupload! I deleted it for reasons, but I won't this time!</p><p>Anyway I hope you enjoy it!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The sounds of war raged on throughout the Great Bridge of Myrddin. Battle cries pierced the sky, and swords clanged and clashed against each other, sending a disarray of sparks into the air.</p><p>Concentrated fireballs and lightning strikes rained down on the battlefield. Pegasus knights soared through the skies, swooping in only for quick kills before retreating back into the air. The bridge was practically torn asunder with pieces of stone dislocated from the ongoing battle. The sight of it all was too painful for Dorothea to watch. She didn’t want to fight anymore; she wanted this war to be over, and yet she found herself in the middle of it on the battlefield. She had done her best to survive throughout the five years since the war began, but with each battle, she had begun to realize that she had done a terrible job of that. Her once cheerful and sassy self was dead, all that remained of her was a rose with thorns. </p><p>It didn’t help that she had already fought and killed her old friends from the academy, yet to her surprise, she still hadn’t fought <em> him </em>. Truthfully she was hoping the day would never come to pass, but before she could even finish the thought a knight on an armored horse stopped before her, lance aimed at her. The knight had a distinct aura about him, and his hair extended well beyond his neck onto his back. Its color was that of bright orange and his eyes held reddish-orange glow. Wait a minute… she knew who this was… no, it couldn’t be… the very person she had always secretly loved after spending their days at the academy getting to know each-other better - Ferdinand von Aegir.</p><p>“Oh, Ferdie. You opposed Edie for so long… I had real hopes for you, you know?” she said. “<em> ...Wait what?! I’m fighting for Edelgard not against her!” </em>  she thought to herself. She was sure that she was fighting on the Empire’s side, so why did those exact words leave her mouth? “Now you’re following her. Is that your duty as a noble? Follow your master when they say to heel?” She put her hands over her mouth as she finished that last sentence. <em> “What is wrong with me?! Why do I keep saying these things! I’m with the Empire right? I have to be!” </em>Despite how much she fought with her inner-self Ferdinand still readied his lance, unfazed by her words.</p><p>“I will not try to explain my duty or hers. You would not understand.” he declared. “I wish you could, but this is no time for idle chitchat!” He charged forward with his all might, lance pointed and sharp enough to impale multiple targets at once.</p><p>Dorothea barely managed to avoid his strikes as she kept trying to figure out why she was suddenly against the empire. She kept dodging and dodging, but Ferdinand was no slouch, he quickly picked up on her movements and managed to land a hit, slashing ever so slightly at her back. The cut wasn’t that deep, but the seething pain from it burned all the same. It didn’t matter how much more she tried to dodge, he would eventually catch up to her and strike her down. It didn't matter how conflicted she was right now, she had to end this as quickly as possible. She charged a powerful magical attack and shaped it in the form of a spear. Before Ferdinand could react and block her attack, she had already launched it towards him.</p><p>“Thoron,” she said in a hushed breath.</p><p>The electrical spear made its mark and struck Ferdinand in the chest, sending him off his horse and onto the cold pavement. Dorothea couldn’t help but rush to his aid, despite being the one to land the blow. She picked him up, putting one hand behind his back and another to dissipate the spear into nothingness. She looked at his face and saw his chest rise and fall slowly as ragged breathing escaped his lungs. She didn’t want to do this; this shouldn’t have happened; what the hell had she done to deserve this? She should’ve been on the empire’s side for crying out loud yet she wasn't. Ferdinand - her bee as she called him all those years ago was slowly dying in her arms. Tears threatened to run down her face, but before even one could escape, a white-gloved hand reached up and wiped them away.</p><p>“Why are you crying? You should be happy… the spoils of war go to you, the victor,” he said as he barely managed a pained laugh.</p><p>“Happy? Spoils? I didn’t want this Ferdie! All of this shouldn’t even be happening right now… ” she cried, and this time Ferdinand was unable to stop the tears from flowing down her face. “What kind of hellish nightmare is this?”</p><p>“I do not… know of which hellish nightmare…  you speak of…" he groaned in pain. "but I do know that… despite this outcome… I still love you, Dorothea… I’m sorry it had to be like this…” Those were his final words and soon the reddish-orange glow in his eyes faded to a dull brown.  </p><p>“Ferdie? Hey, that’s not funny… wake-up… Ferdinand?” she kept calling his name. She didn’t yell, instead she sunk her head onto his and sobbed quietly. Now she was truly alone, with nothing or no one else to turn to. Ferdinand was the last person that truly knew her, for her. And now he died by her hand and her hand alone. She no longer cared about her surroundings, nor that the professor and her allies called out to her. All that was present was the deafening white noise around her. </p><p>Why was she still here? Why couldn’t she seem to wake-up from this horrible nightmare (if it was one, to begin with)? She didn’t want to be here anymore, this all had to be some sick twisted dream, that had to be it. But the more she tried to convince herself that this was the case, the more the cold hard reality began to settle in. Her surrounding view slowly faded into a pitch-black, and soon she fainted on the battlefield…</p><hr/><p>“Dorothea? Hey Dorothea? Dorothea wake up!” a familiar voice called out.</p><p>When she came too she realized she was in her bed, snuggled under the warmth of a blanket. She kept trying to resist waking up and kept fighting off the nagging voice that kept trying to call for her. Eventually, it became too much to bear and she responded with an annoyed “What?”</p><p>“Dorothea are you okay?”</p><p>“Of course I am! Is that all you wanted to ask-” she paused suddenly.</p><p>“What is it? Is there something on my face?” the voice asked curiously.</p><p>“F-Ferdie? Is that really you?!”</p><p>“Of course it’s me who else would I be?” the young aegir asked.</p><p>“I<span>—</span>I, it’s nothing, just forget about this okay!” Dorothea pleaded.</p><p>“Well, I simply can’t do that. You were crying in your sleep and it’s noble’s duty to always care for those in need.”</p><p>“Oh, about that I-, you know what, no nevermind, it’s not that important.” she refused to tell him what she had dreamed about. To her surprise, she was still in Garreg Mach’s school uniform which could have only meant that they were still students and no war had happened <em> yet</em>. </p><p>“Dorothea I-”</p><p>“Don’t say anything, Ferdie, please I’m fine. I just need some alone time. Please?”</p><p>“If that is what you wish I will not probe you any longer. Just if you ever feel the need to tell me… please let me know. I’m always willing to listen.”</p><p>“Yeah, I think I will.”</p><p>“Good.” Ferdinand made his way towards the exit of her room with a content smile on his face, but just as he was about to leave, he heard Dorothea call out to him once more.</p><p>“Hey, Ferdie?”</p><p>“Yes, Dorothea?”</p><p>“You’ll fight alongside me, right? We’ll always be there to support each other on or off the battlefield, correct?”</p><p>“Always. Though why the sudden question?”</p><p>“I-it’s nothing, just go now. I need to think about some things. Thank you though, for checking up on me.”</p><p>“Anytime.”</p><p>Ferdinand left her room after finally, leaving Dorothea to ponder to herself what that nightmare had been all about. She really hoped it didn’t mean anything, because to experience that in real-life would have destroyed her. No, she had to remain optimistic, for her sake and for his. That’s the least she could do for now. She hoped it was.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Just wanted to mention that the reason for Thoron being shaped like a spear is actually a reference to Fire Emblem Awakening. If you played it you know what cutscene I'm talking about.</p><p>Anyway feedback and comments always appreciated!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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